President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order requiring people to provide proof of American citizenship when they register to vote and demanding that all ballots be reviewed by Election Day.
The order requires government-issued proof of U.S. citizenship on its voter registration forms, directs the Attorney General to enter into information-sharing agreements with state election officials to identify cases of election fraud or other election law violations, and conditions federal election-related funds on states complying with the federal election integrity measures.
“There are other steps that we will be taking in the coming weeks,” Trump said just before signing the order. “We think we’ll be able to end up getting fair elections.”
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“It’s an honor to sign this one,” he added. “I sign all of them, built to sign this one is a great honor.”
The U.S. has failed “to enforce basic and necessary election protections,” the order states.
Election experts immediately criticized the move, saying it would disenfranchise millions of voters.
“This executive order would block tens of millions of American citizens from voting,” the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University wrote on X. “Presidents have no authority to do this. This order, like the SAVE Act now before Congress, would hurt voters and suppress the vote.”
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, known as the SAVE Act, is a bill being pushed by Republicans that would make sweeping changes to voter registration, including requiring voters to present documents proving U.S. citizenship.
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Documentary proof of citizenship includes a U.S. passport, a REAL ID, as well as military and state and federal-issued identification indicating American citizenship.
“Free, fair, and honest elections unmarred by fraud, errors, or suspicion are fundamental to maintaining our constitutional Republic,” the order states. ” Yet the United States has not adequately enforced Federal election requirements that, for example, prohibit States from counting ballots received after Election Day or prohibit non-citizens from registering to vote.”
Under the terms of the order, Trump directed the Election Assistance Commission to change the federal voter registration form to require government-issued documentary proof of citizenship.
The order also attempts to bar states from counting mail ballots that election officials receive after Election Day.
